MP failed to declare his link to tobacco lobby

A Labour MP who has consistently opposed government plans to curb cigarette marketing has been criticised for failing to declare his close relationship to an influential member of the tobacco lobby.

David Clelland, MP for Tyne Bridge, Tyne and Wear, has been a vocal critic of the government's plans to ban the display of cigarette packets in shops and newsagents. It has emerged that Clelland is the stepfather of Katherine Graham, who runs the Tobacco Retailers Alliance, the body that has led opposition to the ban and is funded by the Tobacco Manufacturers' Association.

Clelland said he did not mention the link because "I didn't want to give the impression I was raising it because my stepdaughter worked for the TMA.

"I've been raising these issues not because I'm pro-smoking, but because I'm pro-tolerance."